Troy University Board of Trustees advocates for inclusion of Parks' image on U.S. currency

Posted: Tuesday, 26 May 2015

TROY - The Troy University Board of Trustees would like to see the image of Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks adorn some denomination of U.S. currency.

At their spring meeting earlier this month, the Board passed a resolution advocating for the inclusion of Mrs. Parks' image on U.S. currency on a permanent basis. The resolution will be shared with the President of the United States, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alabama's two U.S. Senators, the U.S. Representative from the Second Congressional District of Alabama, the Governor and both houses of the Alabama Legislature.

The resolution said the late Civil Rights icon was "instrumental in bringing about major social and legal change to American society after her arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Ala. Bus, which spurred the Montgomery Bus Boycott."

This spring, Women on 20s, a non-profit, grassroots organization, spearheaded an effort calling for a woman to appear on the $20 bill. The group's campaign included Parks as one of four finalists, but an online vote eventually selected Harriett Tubman.

TROY Trustees noted the University's connection to Parks, saying in their resolution that inclusion of her image on any denomination of paper currency "would be a fitting tribute to this remarkable Alabamian and honorary Troy University alumna."

Troy University's Montgomery Campus is home to the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, which opened on Dec. 1, 2000, 45 years after famous arrest. The museum, which includes six unique areas that tell the story of Parks' courageous act, as well as space for special exhibits, was constructed on the site of the old Empire Theatre near the site of Parks' arrest. The museum annually draws visitors from throughout the United States and around the world.

The University also honored Mrs. Parks with an honorary doctorate in 1999.

This bronze bust of Rosa Parks appears in Troy University's Rosa Parks Museum, located on the Montgomery Campus.